Is it Time for Canadians to Kick Stephen Harper Out of Office?

[Guardian]

Well, with the denial of a United Nations Security Council seat by the General Assembly like that, it is, to me, the final straw about Stephen Harper and his Conservative government cronies. Almost most of the good work Canada has done for the last 62 years, starting from the time of the United Nations founding until now, has now gone to waste, thanks to this MINORITY Conservative government ALONE. Even PM Diefenbaker, when he betrayed Canadian innovation to the Americans, was Prime Minister in his day, is even more popular than Stephen Harper now.

So, I think, Canadian politics in general has gone to the "dark ages" now. How so? Well, Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff, is a weaker leader than Harper. Jack Layton's New Democratic Party (NDP) is too segmented to form any government. The Bloc Quebecois' only mission is to have Quebec to be a new country (against the Americans' wishes and the Monroe Doctrine). As for the Green Party, it is hardly getting noticed by the Canadian public.

Yet, after all the gaffes the Conservatives have made for the last four years in office, they have made Canada one, if not the most, of the most embarrassed nations on this planet. For example, the 2010 Winter Olympics was interfered by Stephen Harper personally, in terms of what should be in the opening ceremony: a big screw-up in the International Olympic Committee's eyes. The 2010 G8 and G20 summits were the real reasons why Harper wanted to stay in office in the first place. The result: both meetings showed how weak Canada is in the world stage, with massive protests and burning police cars to boot.

How about the kicking of Canadian troops out of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Even more so, defense minister McKay is no longer personally allowed to enter the country. Where in the world he was diverted to in the end? ROME, Italy! As for Canadian business and travel by ordinary Canadians to the UAE, there will be no doubt that Canadians will be barred from entering the country, just like Libya. About Libya? Yeah, foreign minister Cannon had to open his big mouth about the Lockerbie bomber being set free by the Scottish judiciary and Qaddafi told him that Canadians are now the "new enemy" of Libya. In other words, no Canadians of any kind allowed in that country, too. More so, all of that against the backdrop of Stephen Harper going hard-line, when it comes to supporting Israel ALL THE WAY. Hence, the loss of almost all the votes from Africa and the Arab/Muslim world for a Council seat to Portugal.

That is a small sample of all the blunders the Conservative government managed to do in just four short years. Who cannot forget the beating Canada got at Copenhagen 2009?

Enough is enough! I may live in the heart of Conservative country in Canada, but who in the world may I going to vote for, when it is said and done? In any case, I say that some leader call for a new national election and let's see which party should be the right one to steer Canada out of these present dark ages now. (Unless, of course, Canadians want to continue the dark ages by voting Conservatives into office again for the next few years.) If that happens, Canada might as well join the USA and cease to be a country altogether.

[cormiermax]

Just wait for the spring, you can count on me voting LIBERAL. I'm sick of this tool running our country.

[Apple]

Well when Harper and the Conseratives ignore and snub the UN for four years you are bound to get into situations like this.

[cormiermax]

The fact that he snubbed an address to the general assembly of the united nations just for a photo op at Tim Hortons shows how much of a tool he is. Canadians better smarten up and vote Liberal next election (probably in spring) because it is the only real alternative to Harper.

[Guardian]

Don't count on Alberta to give the Liberals, the NDP, or the Green Party any seats in Parliament on the next federal election. I do not know why Albertans, in general, like to vote in Conservatives all the time since the days of the NEP? That is so 1980s. Quit living in the past and get your head out from the ground for once! It sickens me to my stomach. Sheesh. Never mind that Alberta has the least-popular premier in Canada right now. So, a double-dose of "needing a reality check" for Alberta here. Just imagine: one out of every six Calgarians want to MOVE OUT of the city altogether, if given a golden opportunity to do so. The present Progressive CONSERVATIVE government really knows how to destroy the prosperity of the province by having "honest Ed" in power.

By the way, did you know that the Conservative government now racked up a record federal deficit, since Jean Chretien had Paul Martin clean up the financial books in the 1990s? All that financial hard work the majority Liberal governments, under Chretien, had to achieve to get the House in order just went up in smoke big time. The rest of the G8 and the G20 must be laughing at Canada now, considering that some of them are no better than Canada in the first place.

[SkiFreak]

BC could use a provincial election.

[Aronious]

Could someone please explain why Harper is so unpopular with respect to domestic issues?

[cormiermax]

Hes made a lot of stupid decision, example getting rid of the long forum census which was extremely unpopular. There actions to try an abolish the long gun registry even though basically every police agency across the nation has said they need it. Decisions like those really are just making Harper look more and more like a tool.

[Guardian]

Could someone please explain why Harper is so unpopular with respect to domestic issues?

To make a short statement about his leadership, the four years of Stephen Harper, to Canadians, is starting to look similar to George W. Bush in the USA, when he was the president for eight long years.

He has already wrecked Canada's long-time standing as a nation other nations could trust internationally, from Afghanistan 2006 to Copenhagen 2009 to G8 and G20 summits in 2010.

Domestically, he has a long-form census scandal, the long-gun registry scandal, the Rahim Jaffer scandal, the Air India 182 inquiry, the military veterans scandal, the RCMP scandal, financial scandals (in which Canada has the highest deficit now, since the days of Jean Chretien in the 1990s), Arctic scandal (telling Russia that it isn't the 15th century anymore), airspace scandal (telling Emirates to "get out of town" and stick to what we offer you) and so on. The biggest scandal of all was his halting of Parliamentary sessions because he did not get what he wanted. Therefore, he forced our Governor-General of the day, Michaelle Jean, to prorogue it. If that wasn't done by her, he would have gone over her head and speak to the Queen directly. In other words, the rudimentary regulations of how to operate a government was lacking in this sick Coservative MINORITY government.

Like I said, enough is enough. The old statements about the Liberal leader is stale and outdated. It is time we Canadians get to vote nationally again. I bet there are a lot of Ontario voters who would love to vote Liberal this time around, instead of the Conservatives. As for Quebec, just what Canada needs: more votes for the separatist Bloc Quebecois Party. The NDP would do well in some provinces across the country. The real holdout is where I live: Alberta. Like I said before, it likes to vote Conservative all the time, even if the party is bad for the country. I just don't get it and why Albertans don't get it, when the rest of Canada sees Alberta as "a redneck province."

[Detroit]

To make a short statement about his leadership, the four years of Stephen Harper, to Canadians, is starting to look similar to George W. Bush in the USA, when he was the president for eight long years.

He has already wrecked Canada's long-time standing as a nation other nations could trust internationally, from Afghanistan 2006 to Copenhagen 2009 to G8 and G20 summits in 2010.

Domestically, he has a long-form census scandal, the long-gun registry scandal, the Rahim Jaffer scandal, the Air India 182 inquiry, the military veterans scandal, the RCMP scandal, financial scandals (in which Canada has the highest deficit now, since the days of Jean Chretien in the 1990s), Arctic scandal (telling Russia that it isn't the 15th century anymore), airspace scandal (telling Emirates to "get out of town" and stick to what we offer you) and so on. The biggest scandal of all was his halting of Parliamentary sessions because he did not get what he wanted. Therefore, he forced our Governor-General of the day, Michaelle Jean, to prorogue it. If that wasn't done by her, he would have gone over her head and speak to the Queen directly. In other words, the rudimentary regulations of how to operate a government was lacking in this sick Coservative MINORITY government.

Like I said, enough is enough. The old statements about the Liberal leader is stale and outdated. It is time we Canadians get to vote nationally again. I bet there are a lot of Ontario voters who would love to vote Liberal this time around, instead of the Conservatives. As for Quebec, just what Canada needs: more votes for the separatist Bloc Quebecois Party. The NDP would do well in some provinces across the country. The real holdout is where I live: Alberta. Like I said before, it likes to vote Conservative all the time, even if the party is bad for the country. I just don't get it and why Albertans don't get it, when the rest of Canada sees Alberta as "a redneck province."

You say that Steven Harper is like George W. Bush. So unpopular, nobody would ever want to vote for his party again(2 years ago at least). But do the Liberals have a version of Barack Obama? NO! That's why Harper should retire, and the conservatives should get a new leader, and ride that excitement through the elections so they can get at least something resembling a strong opposition. Maybe even force a coaltion/minority!

[Aronious]

You say that Steven Harper is like George W. Bush. So unpopular, nobody would ever want to vote for his party again(2 years ago at least). But do the Liberals have a version of Barack Obama? NO! That's why Harper should retire, and the conservatives should get a new leader, and ride that excitement through the elections so they can get at least something resembling a strong opposition. Maybe even force a coaltion/minority!

It's a shame this occurs so often, where politics is considered ahead of policy.

The Opposition party shouldn't need a "Barrack Obama" style candidate. It's high time a lot of people learn that an alternative government can be just as effective without being as glamorous as the (albeit unpopular) incumbent party.

Its pretty clear Canada needs a change and regardless of how unattractive that change is, its probably worth taking the risk.

Despite being a deeply rooted liberal (Labor, Labour, Democrats etc), I'm somewhat glad the Conservatives managed to fall across the line in the UK. Changing government creates a real awakening of debate on both sides of the political spectrum.

[4seasonscentre]

The problem with Conservatives is that they try to make life easy for the well off.

Don't like filling out a census? Long form gone.

Don't like registering your gun? Long gun registry gone.

Don't like using public transit or paying more for gas? Kyoto, gone.

Don't like being reminded of the casualties of war? Cameras on the tarmac, gone.

And then there are ethical issues where conservatives see black and white, because of course seeing gray would be inconvenient.

If you are arrested abroad you will not get the support of the Canadian government because you are probably guilty of your crimes and don't deserve due process.

You can have maternal health in the third world, but no abortion, because that offends some people.

We need bigger prisons, because it is easier to imprison someone than to prevent the crime in the first place.

[Kenadian]

I think we're most likely to go to the polls in early 2011 - unless something dramatic happens in Parliament. Which could be blocked by our annual Christmas bonus from the Governor General. This new one is a Harper appointee.

Even this early on, it will probably be more of the same. People haven't warmed up to Ignatief and they aren't angry enough at Harper. Probably another minority Conservative government...polls are showing they currently have a slight lead.

[Lord David]

...And get a French Canadian in? So you can see the dude on TV speaking English with some sort of lisp?

[Guardian]

Oh, yeah. More cannon fodder to the opposition, especially for the Liberals, compliments of an American magazine and one valedictorian from the University of Winnipeg.

First, a link from the CBC about how Toews' honorary degree from the University of Winnipeg was considered "a sham" by the latest valedictorian from that post-secondary institution: CBC: Valedictorian takes swipe at Toews' degree

Note: To me, Vic Toews is one of the most hated Conservative MPs in the government and he is currently public safety minister. He said things about Tamils that should offend these people big time, but he had his hands clean by Harper personally.

Second, a link from an American magazine called "Foreign Policy": Foreign Policy: Blame Canada

Third, another link from "Foreign Policy": Foreign Policy: Canada jilted? The state of the debate

Here, the two articles here gives an American point of view on why Canada got embarrassed, by losing the Security Council seat vote to Portugal. Did the US voted against Canada for a seat at the UN, from Obama's orders? Who knows now.

Harper giving a speech to the United Nations that sealed and embarrassed Canada to the world.

[cormiermax]

Its too bad ignatieff is the liberal leader, I don't think hes able to take down Harper.

[Detroit]

What the heck? DOWN WITH HARPER!!!!

[Faster]

Could someone please explain why Harper is so unpopular with respect to domestic issues?

There is a laundry list of things and it really depends on your perspective as a Canadian what you agree/disagree with.

For me the biggest one is the very public spats we have had with the Americans, French, Germans, Chinese, Russians, Japanese and Australians over various issues ranging from climate change, to the Afghanistan War, to trying to interfere in internal affairs. Also the more American-line support of Israel instead of the more European-line support for the two-state solution has alienated some of our more traditional Arab and Muslim allies and friends.

The fake constitutional crisis because of the coalition attempt was also a major awakening. And it got much, much worse after the British and Australians formed coalition governments and in the British case, between the two most opposite parties. This really showed that Harper's government argues for and again whatever is more convinent for them.

Also, it seems like the government cares more about being in power than governance. This is most disturbing.

And than the huge embarrassment at the UN falling to Portugal for a seat on the security council, with news of the Americans actively working against us and the Germans deciding to run in this round to pre-empt a Canadian victory. This goes back to the fighting with our allies.

There has also been a lot of short-sightedness. Spending their way through massive surpluses to almost nothing followed by the economic crisis and almost monthly re-evaluations of the government books. The comparables are staggering when you compare total expenditures of the last Liberal government that ran 1993 to 2005 to the Harper goverment of 2006 to 2010 so far.

Also things like trying to take away government support of political parties was widely seen as a nasty and mean-spirited attempt to kick the opposition while its down, the string of insults against French-Canada, attacks on arts, culture, feminine issues and a blantant favouritism to the West over the East.

The misuse of capital expenditures in ridings that are 'fight' ridings come election time, the stiffling discipline of their MPs (in a country that is already well known for complete party-line voting and rigid following of the party line by all members)

Minister scandals, unqualified and imcompetant ministers (Flarety, Baird, Toews, Shay and others)

Unwise and unjustifible spending.

and the list can go on.

I think we're most likely to go to the polls in early 2011 - unless something dramatic happens in Parliament. Which could be blocked by our annual Christmas bonus from the Governor General. This new one is a Harper appointee.

Even this early on, it will probably be more of the same. People haven't warmed up to Ignatief and they aren't angry enough at Harper. Probably another minority Conservative government...polls are showing they currently have a slight lead.

The GG is a constitutional expert and would know the ramifications of any further misuse of parliamentary procedure.

[Guardian]

Interesting World Politics Review (WPR) article about the relationship between the G20 (which Harper wanted to put Canada on the world stage this year, with DISASTEROUS results) and the UN Security Council (which Harper tried to get a seat, but failed miserably to Portugal). Does this mean that Canada's role in the world has been diminished so fast, in four short Conservative government years in power, that countries like Argentina, Gabon, and Lebanon are more powerful than Canada? In other words, is Canada a developed nation with no say in world affairs because of its ignorance to the world and that the world reciprocated by seeing Canada as an "ignorant entity", like North Korea?

Link: World Politics Review: New Members Make for a Real Security Council at Last

Judging from the title of this article, does that mean Canada is now "outdated and 'living only in past glory'" in the eyes of the UN?

[Guardian]

Another Foreign Policy article about what Canada should do, according to Ignatieff.

Link: Foreign Policy: Canadian Opposition Charts Path to Power Through Turtle Bay

So, this poses a question, should Canada "join" the UN or have Harper call an election, in which the election issue will be to "join the US" and form one big country with American masters?

[cormiermax]

Join the US?

[Texas]

If anyone is joining the US, it's Puerto Rico and not Canada.

[cormiermax]

Id give my life to prevent Canada from joining the United States.

[Guardian]

More Canadian irrevalency in the world stage and Harper's stint at hosting the G20 summit last June just got swept under the rug with a whimper. This time, from the Foreign Policy magazine, it talks about Brazil's rise to "a great power." Not a superpower as such, but getting there.

Link: Foreign Policy: Is the U.S. Ready for Brazil's latest new beginning?

A happy Brazil's president-elect Dilma Rousseff

Important quote from the article: "This new G9 is the core of the too big and unwieldy G20. It is the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France, the U.K., India, Brazil, and Russia. The countries whose combined economic, political, military, demographic, regional and global strengths set them apart from all others. The EU doesn't belong because it doesn't really have a coherent foreign policy. The other members of the G20 are only invited to show up at the meetings because the world is too embarrassed to ask them to stay home."

Well, well, well, O powerful Stephen Harper (NOT!!). If the G20 is too unwieldly and a G9 is going to replace the G8 in the future, then Canada's days in this kind of world spotlight is long gone into the past. Say goodbye to having a seat in the Security Council and any revalence in the United Nations, a seat in the G7/G8 and other more worthy international organizations. Countries, like Iran and China, will have a field day kicking our asses for the joy of it, like human rights issues, unrecognize any form of Canadian citizenship, and other nasty deeds BECAUSE THEY ARE STRONG! All of this is eerily heading toward the future like the Fallout computer game series. If you read, from Wikipedia, about this series, then it will be interesting whether not if Canada dies as a country, but WHEN. Open your eyes and ears and send the Conservatives packing with all their tails between their legs!!

[Guardian]

Another good reason to kick Stephen Harper and his Conservative cronies out of office and out of power, courtesy of the United Nations. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the latest Human Development Index numbers for 2010, using 2007 data.

Guess what? Canada has its worse showing in the index, since Jean Chretien took power in 1993 in eighth place. Even more so, Ireland (with the largest external debt in the world of about 2,000%!!!), the Americans (during the Bush years), tiny Liechtenstein and the Netherlands do better than Canada this time around. These nations, to my knowledge, has never beat Canada in the HDI rankings before. That is, until now.

So, what happened? What the hell did Stephen Harper do in 2007 that was bad that the UN noticed that human development is lacking in Canada? Looks like all the Liberal work in making Canada a better place to live in went in smoke, when Stephen Harper came into office in 2006. It doesn't look promising in the next few HDI numbers for the years to come for the country up to the present (2008 to 2011).

Link: United Nations Development Programme: Human Development Index 2010 Rankings

First, the Security Council vote debacle. Now, the UN gives its latest answer to Canada, via these rankings.